Auxiliary Bishop Sylvester David offers his prayer and reflection for the people of the Archdiocese of Cape Town for today, Friday 18 December 2020, during this time of the coronavirus pandemic. It is also available on the Archdiocese of Cape Town’s Facebook page and YouTube channel. Please also see below the text of his reflection, primarily for the deaf.

Reflection for Friday 18^th December 2020.

Jeremiah 23:5-8. PLEASE READ THE TEXT.

We are now in the second part of Advent – a time of immediate preparation for the brith of the Saviour. During this time, the need for words diminishes and the need for reflection takes over. This reflection will therefore be brief. 

As Christmas approaches the liturgy offers us hope through our very brief, but intense first reading taken from the prophet Jeremiah. In a recent reflection I highlighted the introduction of a deep and meaningful prophetic announcement which uses the solemn proclamation formula “Thus says the Lord”. That formula is used twice in the rather brief passage for today. This is the Bible’s way of drawing attention to a meaningful announcement. Let’s look at it. The solemn prophetic formula is attached to an announcement “behold the days are coming”. The attentive bible reader is meant to ask “which days?” Engaging with the Scriptures in this way we will get to know that this formula and reference to “the days” which are coming also introduces the text of the new covenant later in Jer (Jer 31:31-34). Today’s text prepares us for the announcement of the new covenant.

Still probing the formula we will see that as soon as Mary conceives, the reference to the “those days” occurs again. We see this in the original text of Lk 1:39. The attentive Bible reader will now begin to see that when Jesus takes human flesh, the days of the new covenant have come. For those interested in this theme, when the letter to the Hebrews presents us with the priestly work of Jesus by which we are saved, the new covenant text from Jer 31:31-34 is quoted word for word (Heb 8:8-12). 

In the liturgy of the Eucharist we recall the words of Jesus in the upper room: “… the blood of the new covenant which will be poured out for the forgiveness of sins”. There is a deep and meaningful significance attached to biblical formulae which we routinely glance over. These formulae functioned as signposts for the ancient hearers and subsequently readers of biblical texts. 

I wish you joy as you prepare to welcome the Word of life into your space at Christmas.

Bishop Sylvester David OMI
VG: Archdiocese of Cape Town

Archbishop Stephen Brislin offers his prayer and reflection for the people of the Archdiocese of Cape Town for today, Wednesday 16 December 2020, during this time of the coronavirus pandemic. It is also available on the Archdiocese of Cape Town’s Facebook page and YouTube channel. Please also see below the text of his reflection, primarily for the deaf.

It is wonderful to be with you on this public holiday in South Africa. It is named the “Day of Reconciliation”, reminding us of the need to heal relationships and divisions among people, and to strive for unity and harmony through respect and tolerance of the differences that exist among us. It is also important to remember our need to be reconciled to God, that through expressing deep repentance for the times we have sinned, we may be at peace with him. Thank you, so much, for joining me for this reflection on such an important public holiday.

In the Gospel of today’s Mass from St Luke (7:19-23) we hear Jesus responding to the messengers of John the Baptist who had been sent to Jesus to ask, Are you he who is to come, or shall we look for another? This is how Jesus responded:

Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the good news preached to them. And blessed is he who takes no offence at me.

Let us pray:

Give us hope, Lord, to steady our steps, for we walk by faith and not by earthly sight. May hope deepen our longing, perfect our love and lead us to your promised rest. We make this prayer through Our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever, amen. 

Jesus taught that a sound tree produces good fruit but a rotten tree bad fruit, and says that we shall know people by their fruits (Matt 7:17-20). Thus, when the messengers relayed John the Baptist’s question to Jesus, he did not give a direct reply, knowing that the fruits always show the reality. He tells the messengers to look for themselves and to witness the fruits of his ministry among people and the healing that he has brought. Anyone can claim to be something or someone, they can claim that they have achieved all sorts of things, but there is always the possibility that their claims are just “big talk” and lack a foundation in reality. If you can actually witness what they have accomplished, then you will know what they say is true. And so, Jesus encourages the messengers of John the Baptist to look at what is happening – the lame walk, the deaf hear, the blind see, the dead are raised and the poor have the good news preached to them. That answers their question.

It is of profound importance to Christians, who claim to be disciples of Jesus, to integrate Jesus’ teaching in their lives. Jesus’ most fundamental teaching is to love God and to love neighbour, and we claim to be people who are following that teaching, a teaching that encompasses repentance, forgiveness, generosity, caring, justice and so on. It can happen so easily that our faith and commitment to discipleship is just talk, when we say all the right things and yet our actions do not reflect what we profess with your words. Christians, who are called to be light to the world, can become a stumbling block to the faith of others when their behaviour is scandalous and clearly in contradiction to both the letter and spirit of Jesus’ teaching. And so, it is a lifelong struggle for us to bring our words and our actions into harmony, so that what we profess with our mouths we accomplish, even if imperfectly, in our actions. On this public holiday – the Day of Reconciliation – we could well see it as being a challenge for us to reconcile our words with our deeds.

One practical way in which our actions must match up with our words is to be conscious and responsible in our behaviour at this difficult time of the pandemic, and most especially during this Christmas season when we particularly enjoy being with people. There is no reason why we cannot enjoy ourselves at this time while still being responsible in our behaviour. It simply takes a commitment, and discipline,  to observe all the safeguarding measures that we have been taught. This is true of our Church services over Christmas as well. There could be the temptation to want to relax all the restrictions that we are living with, just for Christmas. But if we gave in to such a temptation we would be putting people’s lives at risk. Therefore we have to make the responsible decision of patiently abiding by the restrictions, knowing that in due course, they will come to an end. A very important part of our Christmas Masses is the singing of carols – the carols help make Christmas the joyful, beautiful feast it is. Yet again, we have to accept the limitations placed on us, knowing that singing in a congregation could become a super-spreader of the virus. Even outdoors, we have to keep observing spatial distancing, masks, sanitizing and allowing ourselves the opportunity to listen joyfully to one or two cantors singing on our behalf. This will be a very different Christmas from other years, but nothing can separate us from the joy of God’s salvation and we can still experience overflowing joy while being responsible in our behaviour.

There are really two ways of looking at the restrictions at this time of Christmas. We can feel sad and frustrated that we cannot celebrate as we would usually like to, and allow those feelings to spoil Christmas for us. Or we could look at the restrictions in a way that enable us to recognize that they can help us appreciate the true meaning of Christmas – the light has come into the world, the Saviour has been born, redemption is at hand, God has blessed the world. If we adopt the latter attitude, there is nothing in the world that will prevent us entering into the true meaning of the Incarnation and immersing ourselves in the love that God has bestowed on us. I hope that we will all be able to be positive this Christmas, grateful to God and full of joy. I hope that we accept the limitations as a light burden that we have to carry, and that we will ensure that we make an extra effort to be caring and conscious of the health of others.

Let us now pray for God’s blessing:

The Lord be with you                                                                          R/ And with your spirit

 Humbly we pray, O Lord, that you will send your blessing upon us as we longingly wait for your coming kingdom, so that we will not weaken in our resolve to serve you and our neighbour with love and compassion.  Through Christ our Lord, amen.  And may Almighty God bless you, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, amen

Auxiliary Bishop Sylvester David offers his prayer and reflection for the people of the Archdiocese of Cape Town for today, Friday 11 December 2020, during this time of the coronavirus pandemic. It is also available on the Archdiocese of Cape Town’s Facebook page and YouTube channel. Please also see below the text of his reflection, primarily for the deaf.

Reflection for Friday 11 December 2020. 

Isaiah 48:17-19. Please read the text.

The first verse of the reading is striking: “Thus says the Lord, your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel…” (Isaiah 48:17). In this reflection I hope to show the importance of the title “Redeemer” for our appreciation of the Eucharist.

The opening words of the passage “Thus says the Lord” constitute a solemn prophetic declaration and was a signal to those hearing these words at Israel’s liturgical celebrations to sit up and take note. Immediately after this solemn introduction we are told exactly what we need to be attentive to. God is presented as our Redeemer. This is a word that is often used in religious circles. We hear it at funeral liturgies when Job declares that he knows his redeemer lives (cf. Job 19:25), and at other religious gatherings. Fr John Foley SJ of the St Louis Jesuits composed a hymn called “Redeemer Lord” in the early 1980s where the Isaiah text from the first Sunday of Advent is captured in a most imaginative and moving way. Those who can download it ought to do so as this song captures the essence of who God is for the people of faith. [The title of the compilation by the St Louis Jesuits is “Lord of Light”].

The word “Redeemer” as used in the Bible comes from economic life of ancient Israel, or to be more precise, from the family law of the tribal community. Bearing in mind that Israel had a shame culture, any indebtedness had to be avoided as that would bring shame on the whole clan. Therefore whenever someone fell on hard times, the nearest, dearest living relative would see it as duty to bring redemption by literally paying the price. When God claims to be our redeemer He is in fact claiming to be our nearest kin who will spare us from shame. 

This is what we celebrate in the Eucharist. Our catechism teaches us that one of the main effects of the Eucharist is the forgiveness of sins. In the NT, Jesus is the one who makes the payment – not in silver or gold but with his own blood (1 Peter 1:18-20) and that is what we celebrate in the Eucharist each day. St Paul captures this nicely in Ephesians 1:7 when speaking of the grace we receive through Christ he says: “in whom we have redemption through his blood”. We must also remember the words spoken over the chalice: “Take this all of you, and drink from it, for this is the chalice of my blood, the blood of the new and eternal covenant, which will be poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this in memory of me.”

Let us pray: God our Father, you have laid claim to a relationship with us whereby you take away our sin and shame. Jesus came to show just how much you love us and has paid the price for our sins. During this year of the Eucharist help us to cherish the gift of the sacrament by which our sins are forgiven. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. 

[Blessing].

Archbishop Stephen Brislin offers his prayer and reflection for the people of the Archdiocese of Cape Town for today, Wednesday 9 December 2020, during this time of the coronavirus pandemic. It is also available on the Archdiocese of Cape Town’s Facebook page and YouTube channel. Please also see below the text of his reflection, primarily for the deaf.

The time of Advent is a time of joy, peace and hope. As we approach and anticipate the commemoration of the Birth of our Saviour, let us keep hope alive in our hearts, knowing that the fulfilment of the Incarnation, Passion, Death and Resurrection is drawing nearer. We look to the future and the final accomplishment of God’s Kingdom. Welcome to this reflection.

Jesus spoke these beautiful words to his disciples and to us, recorded in today’s Gospel (Matthew 11:28-30):

Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.

Let us pray:

Heavenly Father, our souls are restless until they find rest in you. Give us peace within ourselves, Lord, as we face the struggles of every day life, most especially as we face the consequences of the Corona Virus, strengthen our hope in you and never let our faith waiver. May we always be willing to share your yoke joyfully so that we may learn from you. We make this prayer through Our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever, amen. 

Just before Jesus spoke these words of encouragement and solace to his disciples, he had addressed his Father in thanksgiving saying, I bless you, Father, Lord of Heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from the learned and clever and revealing them to little children. Yes, Father, for that is what it pleased you to do. Jesus’ revelation of the Father, and the mysteries of creation and salvation, are not accessible to only a select few. Throughout Christian tradition, groups have arisen that claimed “special knowledge” of God, or that they were more enlightened than others in their knowledge of God. The fact is, God is accessible and available to any person who has an open heart and seeks him sincerely. It is not a matter of wealth, intelligence or status that enables us to know God. It is worth repeating: God comes to those who seek him and seek to do good – and one further qualifier is needed – those with a humble heart. 

For to “learn from Jesus” is to learn humility. While we frequently, and rightly, refer to God as “Almighty” and “all powerful”, it is also true that our God is a humble God, a “little” God. He is not a dominant, autocratic dictator such as those civil leaders that have appeared during the course of history. He is a gentle and humble God who, in the Old Testament, chose the smallest and least of people – the Jews – and chose them to be the instrument of his light in the world. He is the God who rides not a mighty horse when he enters Jerusalem, but a humble donkey. He is the one who carries his Cross and is crucified among criminals. He is the one who says, come to me all who labour and are heavy laden. He looks to those weighed down by the burdens and struggles of life not with oppression, not to control them, but to give them rest and peace.

Sometimes it is hard for us to come to an acceptance of the reality that God really cares for us and that he has a humble and gentle heart that holds a place for us in it. St Augustine recognized that God is indeed a God of solace, and recognized that we can only find our peace in God. In his words, which I used in the opening prayer, our hearts will only rest when they find rest in thee. So much of our time is spent seeking happiness, contentment and fulfilment and yet we search for them in the wrong place, chasing after false lights instead of the true Light. Jesus is the way to the Father, he is the way to true peace. Knowing and believing this is not some sort of  escape from reality, or the “opium of the people”. It does not remove us from the realities of life, nor does it mean that all our struggles and anxieties disappear. We have never been promised that. But it does mean that we are given the strength to meet those challenges, it means that we can find meaning in them, we can find meaning in life and that we are a people filled with hope. It means that we carry the Cross with Jesus – in a small way – for the salvation of the world.

During this Advent we can learn to simplify our lives, to purify our motivation and intentions, and to become “little” like Jesus. We who have received so much help and strength from him, who have had our burdens lightened and lifted from our shoulders, can do exactly the same for those around us. We can help them bear the burdens of life and we can help them find rest in Jesus by our concrete acts of humility and gentleness.

Let us now pray for God’s blessing:

The Lord be with you                                                                          R/ And with your spirit

May Almighty God fill your hearts with happiness and joy, that you may worthily celebrate the coming feast of the Incarnation. May Jesus, who took our flesh, always find a home in your hearts and fill them with peace, love and hope. Through Christ our Lord, amen.  And may Almighty God bless you, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, amen

Auxiliary Bishop Sylvester David offers his prayer and reflection for the people of the Archdiocese of Cape Town for today, Friday 4 December 2020, during this time of the coronavirus pandemic. It is also available on the Archdiocese of Cape Town’s Facebook page and YouTube channel. Please also see below the text of his reflection, primarily for the deaf.

Reflection for 4 December 2020.

Matthew 9:27-31. “Son of David, have pity on me”.

Please read and re-read the text slowly and prayerfully. Now put yourself in the place of the blind men seeking the help of Jesus. What form does my blindness take? In the passage Jesus touches the diseased part and healing comes. Where do I need healing? These men took a decision to step out of the cycle of depression and misery and only then were they freed. What is it that keeps me back and holds me in a dungeon of despair? In the passage Jesus actually asks: “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” (9:28). Do I believe that Jesus can make me well. This is important because the healing words are: “Let it be done according to your belief” (9:29).

Okay, now for a comment on the text:

Thus far in the chapter Jesus had healed the woman with the chronic loss of life blood (9:20-22), raised the daughter of Jairus to life (9:23-26) and now as he is about to enter the house he is approached to counter the darkness of the blind.

It is interesting to note that the blind men followed him while still unable to see (9:27). Some are able to see more clearly with their eyes shut than those who have their eyes opened. We see this clearly when Paul was struck blind (Acts 9:8-19). In fact he saw more clearly while blinded than he saw with his natural eyes. When the natural eyes were closed, the eyes of faith were opened. Those interested in probing this will find the ninth chapter of John most illuminating.

In the case of these blind men who firstly recognised their condition, secondly called out to Jesus from the dungeon of their despair, and thirdly (and most importantly) believed that their condition could be reversed; they experienced healing in a most spectacular way. The word used to express that their eyes were opened is very rare in the New Testament. This word when read aloud brings out the meaning of the sentence and highlights the exceedingly new and opened condition of the eyes. This word is used very sparingly in the NT viz. to indicate the opening of the heavens at the baptism of Jesus in Matthew 3:16, to show the opening of the eyes in today’s passage, to highlight the opening of the blind man’s eyes in Jn 9:10, and finally to show the opening of the prison and the chains which bound Paul and Silas in Acts 16:26. In today’s passage this condition only happens after Jesus touches the affected eyes.

It is true that there are none so blind as those who will not see. How often do we chose to turn a blind eye to our own shortcomings, choosing instead to focus on the failings of others? As long as the denial lasts no healing can take place but when we shout out our need and allow Jesus to touch the affected parts, healing can come. I wish you well as we all learn from the two blind men how to recognise our need and how to make it known.

Let us pray: God our father, today you instruct us through the need of two blind men. Help us to learn to admit our helplessness and to allow Jesus to touch us so that we too may be healed. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen [Blessing].

Bishop Sylvester David OMI
VG: Archdiocese of Cape Town

Archbishop Stephen Brislin offers his prayer and reflection for the people of the Archdiocese of Cape Town for today, Wednesday 2 December 2020, during this time of the coronavirus pandemic. It is also available on the Archdiocese of Cape Town’s Facebook page and YouTube channel. Please also see below the text of his reflection, primarily for the deaf.

We have entered into the new liturgical year of the Church’s cycle and, as with every new year, we are invited to renewal of mind, heart and soul, to renew our energy and zeal in our Christian life and to renew our faith and hope in God. Welcome to today’s reflection. Food in abundance features in both the First Reading of today’s Mass (Is 25:6-10a) and the Gospel (Matt 15:29-37). This is what we hear in the First Reading:

On that day: The Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of fat things, a feast of choice wines – of fat things full of marrow, of choice wines well refined.

I have taken the prayer from the Collect of today’s Mass. 

Let us pray:

Prepare our hearts, we pray, O Lord our God, by your divine power, so that at the coming of Christ your Son, we may be found worthy of the banquet of eternal life and merit to receive heavenly nourishment from his hands.  We make this prayer through Our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever, amen.

The First Reading goes on to say that the Lord will swallow up death and will wipe away tears from all faces. In the Gospel the crowds had gathered around Jesus, many seeking healing. The lame walked the mute could speak, the blind could see. And Jesus became concerned that the crowds have nothing to eat and taking seven loaves and a few small fish he fed them and they ate and were satisfied – seven baskets of scraps remained. All of these are signs of the Kingdom of God, the kingdom of liberation from all that ails us and makes us sorrowful. They are signs of wholeness, of holistic healing and wellbeing.

It is not for nothing that the coming Kingdom of God is frequently compared to a banquet in the New Testament with similar echoes in the Old Testament. For all in Biblical times who lived off the land (as is the case today), being subject to the variations of climate and weather, food was to be appreciated because hunger could so easily and quickly result from droughts or floods. For those in today’s urbanized and globalized world we have – by and large – lost that sense of dependence on mother earth to provide us with the food and nourishment we need for life. But for those who realize their dependence on the earth and climate, to have an abundance of food and to be able to eat rich food from the “fat of the land”, relieved the insecurities of the fluctuations of weather and was a reason to celebrate. And so food – and food in abundance – is used in the Bible to convey a much deeper, holistic reality of the fulfilment of humanity’s most profound needs and longings. It is not only our bodies that needing feeding and nourishment.

The feeding of the crowds in the Gospel conveys this understanding of fulfilment in its fullest sense. There is an abundance of food – seven baskets of scraps remained after all had eaten, indicating a generosity way beyond simply providing for basic needs – that’s the first virtue we learn from this miracle. The second is that the food was shared among people. Sharing conveys a sense of communion and equality among people – and we recall the manna in the desert where no-one had too little and no-one had to much to eat. Sharing among people conveys the sense of a unity that has its foundation in peaceful relationships, where people are able to consider the needs of others, to show empathy to their neighbour who is suffering, who are able to forgive and seek reconciliation, who show abundance in their willingness to be generous beyond the call of duty. Above all, it is about a third virtue. Compassion – to be moved by the plight of others so that we ourselves feel the pain they are going through – and we move to do something about it to support and strengthen them. It was compassion that moved Jesus to feed the crowds – he saw that they had been without food and he felt sorry for them, saying that he did not wish to send them away hungry as they might collapse on the way. The same compassion moved him to cure the lame, blind and deaf, to raise the dead and to nourish his disciples with his words of teaching, a teaching, which in the words of St Peter, is the message of eternal life.

This is the kingdom that we anticipate in this time of Advent as we await to commemorate the celebration of Christ’s first coming in the world, and as we wait in expectation, longing for his second coming. We watch and we pray. We wait and are vigilant. But there is no hint of inactivity in watching, waiting and praying. Quite the opposite: our waiting is characterized by our willingness to be formed into the image of Jesus Christ, and to live even now as citizens of heaven. Learning to live the values of the Kingdom in our lives and relationships so that we may be abundant in generosity, strive for harmonious relationships through our willingness to share, forgive and reconcile. Our waiting and longing for God’s kingdom – which is our final destiny – is not passive but it is to strain forward and endeavour to become that person now, the person God wants us to be. Rather than seek only our own nourishment, as much as we need to be nourished, we seek ways to nourish others, turning to them in their need and heart-ache, giving them our solidarity and support. Then, with the psalmist, we will be able to proclaim, my soul shall be filled as with a banquet, my mouth shall praise you with joy. (Ps62/63).

Let us now pray for God’s blessing:

The Lord be with you                                                                          R/ And with your spirit

Lord, without your blessing we can achieve nothing that is good and nothing which is holy. We ask now, Lord, that you bestow your blessing on your people as they anticipate your everlasting Kingdom, that they may be kept safe and free from all harm, and may rejoice always in your goodness and your love. We make this prayer through Christ our Lord, amen.

 May Almighty God bless you, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, amen

Auxiliary Bishop Sylvester David offers his prayer and reflection for the people of the Archdiocese of Cape Town for today, Friday 27 November 2020, during this time of the coronavirus pandemic. It is also available on the Archdiocese of Cape Town’s Facebook page and YouTube channel. Please also see below the text of his reflection, primarily for the deaf.

Reflection for Fri 27 Nov 2020 (34^th or last week of Ordinary Time).

Luke 21:29-33

Last week I posted a reflection on making a resolution/s for the new liturgical year. That was done at that time so as to allow some opportunity for reflection to see what is the most appropriate resolution I can make to meaningfully celebrate the new liturgical year.

Today we have a fig tree to reflect on. The fig tree in Palestine was different to all other trees. While the others were evergreens, the fig tree faced the cold winter completely unadorned. Dormancy is written into its life. Unlike humans, birds and animals which can migrate, plants are fixed for life. When adverse, cold conditions exist the plant ceases to receive its life giving cues from the external environment and turns its focus inwards to receive its direction from its inner rhythms. Those who plant seeds know this. Seeds have to remain dormant in order to fully mature. During the time of “doing nothing” the seed is actually maximising its capacity, not so much for a quick turnover, but for its survival into eternity. Jesus honoured the human need for times not given to accomplishment but to rest and regeneration – that is why he sought times of alone-ness.

The style of today’s Gospel text and its accompanying first reading from Revelations 20 is called “apocalyptic”. The meanings are hidden in symbols. It was written to give people hope in times of distress. Its purpose is to counteract the paralysis that comes with hopelessness. The emphasis is that although we cannot know the precise timing, there will be an end to present distress. The fig tree symbol conveys the notion that even though there is the appearance of death through the barren and leafless fig tree, new life will blossom. Winter will give way to the new life of springtime. 

Covid-19 and the distress that it has caused will not have the final say. St Paul conveys this very succinctly in the question he asks: “What will separate us from the love of Christ?” (Romans 8:35). He goes through a litany of misfortunes and in Romans 8:39 concludes that nothing can “separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord”. Whether by vaccine, avoidance of contamination, or by convalescence – or even by a combination of these factors, we will be victorious.

And as we remember those who have lost their lives to Covid-19, we rely on the faith of the Church expressed in Preface I of the Requiem Mass: “In him the hope of blessed resurrection has dawned, that those saddened by the certainty of dying might be consoled by the promise of immortality to come. Indeed for your faithful, Lord, life is changed not ended, and, when this earthly dwelling turns to dust, an eternal dwelling is made ready for them in heaven”. Our union with God will be achieved – even if it comes through Covid-19. As Mother Juliana of Norwich said: “All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.” She knows – she suffered the effects of the Black Death plague which ravaged England from 1348-50. 

Let us pray: Lord as the liturgical year rushes towards it end, it will give way to a new cycle of encountering you through our liturgical celebrations. We thank you for the opportunities given to us through our faith life and ask for the grace to worship in ways that are acceptable to you. We pray through Christ our Lord. Amen. [Blessing].

Bishop Sylvester David OMI
VG: Archdiocese of Cape Town

Archbishop Stephen Brislin offers his prayer and reflection for the people of the Archdiocese of Cape Town for today, Wednesday 25 November 2020, during this time of the coronavirus pandemic. It is also available on the Archdiocese of Cape Town’s Facebook page and YouTube channel. Please also see below the text of his reflection, primarily for the deaf.

Welcome once again to this reflection. I hope that this will be a very blessed day for you.

In the Gospel of today’s Mass (Lk 21:12-19) we hear Jesus warning his disciples that there will be persecution, and that his followers will be brought before kings and governors for his name’s sake – but this will be their opportunity to bear witness and the Lord himself will give them the words and wisdom to do so. He encourages them to endure – this is what he says:

You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and kinsmen and friends, and some of you they will put to death; you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But not a hair of your head will perish. By you endurance you will gain your lives.

I will take the prayer from the Mass of the Solemnity of Christ the King:

Let us pray:

Almighty ever-living God, whose will it is to restore all things in your beloved Son, the King of the universe; grant, we pray, that the whole creation, set free from slavery, may render your majesty service and ceaselessly proclaim your praise. We make this prayer through Our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever, amen.

We are in the last week of the Church’s liturgical year and the themes of vigilance and preparation have become more urgent because the stakes are so high. If we are to be part of God’s Kingdom, and if we are to be among the “sheep” at his right hand on the Day of Judgement, we need to be prepared for what it takes to get there – we cannot take salvation for granted. Before we enter into the Season of Advent, the time of anticipation, expectation and waiting, we ponder deeply again on what it means to be vigilant and to prepare. The Gospel of today’s Mass, as well as the First Reading (Rev 15:1-4) point us in the right direction. Vigilance and preparation demand perseverance. We have to persevere in our faith and all that goes with faith. A dictionary definition of perseverance is continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition. It means to “hold fast” and not to waver (Heb 10:23). We hold fast to our hope, to what we believe in, and to how we live our lives in the Spirit of God. As St Paul says in his second letter to the Corinthians, we are subjected to every kind of hardship, but never distressed; we see no way out but we never despair (2 Cor 4:8). In all the challenges of life that we encounter – difficulties, failures and opposition – we hold fast to the source of life, the source of meaning and the source of all hope.

One of the characteristics of human beings is that we are titillated and fascinated by changing fashions, ideas and inventions. We are always on the lookout for something “new”, even if it is trying the new coffee shop on the corner or getting a new gadget. We anticipate the pleasure it will give us and how it will please us more from what we had in the past – even if we know, in our heart of hearts, that we will soon get tired of it and want to try something new again. How often has a parent heard a child say “if you buy me that, I’ll never ask you for anything again”. There is nothing wrong with enjoying things new and trying new things, as long as we are not just blown along with a changing world and adopt whatever changing beliefs or morals are in vogue. Again, as St Paul says in his letter to the Ephesians, Then we shall no longer be children, or tossed one way and another, and carried hither and thither by every new gust of teaching, at the mercy of all the tricks people play and their unscrupulousness in deliberate deception (4:14). And importantly, he goes on to say, If we live by the truth and in love, we shall grow completely into Christ, who is the head (4:15).

So while we may enjoy the changing fashions and ways of the world, when it comes to things that really matter, we must remain rooted in what we believe, to have our foundation in “truth and love”. In short, our anchor in life must remain in Christ Jesus our Lord, through whom salvation comes, and we are to cling to the basics of our faith without letting go. This is not as easy as it may sound since there can be extraordinary pressure placed on people to conform to prevailing views, ideologies and perceptions, and there is often a hostile intolerance when they will not. Not everything new is wrong, and humanity does progress in terms of deepening knowledge and understanding, and we thank God for these blessings. But when a conflict arises between the values imparted to us through Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit throughout history, and prevailing culture, our choice must always be to remain firm in the Christian values we have been taught. We know that this will often not be popular, and that on occasion it will bring us into conflict with modern culture. But then, Christianity is not about popularity, it is not about saying things because we want to please people – that is what the false prophets did. Our task is to humbly speak and live the truth, not to waver in our faith and to remain true to the commandment to love that allows for no arrogance or self-righteousness, but only humble service. May God give us the grace to endure, so that we may be vigilant and prepare for his coming. As Pope Francis recently said we should make our choices with eternity in mind, by thinking not about what we want to do, but what is best to do.

Let us now pray for God’s blessing:

The Lord be with you R/ And with your spirit

May Almighty God fill you with the richness of his love, and strengthen you by the gift of his Holy Spirit, that you may endure in your faith to the end and come to the joy of the Kingdom of God. Through Christ our Lord, amen. And may Almighty God bless you, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, amen

As we continue to remember and pray for our departed loved ones, and all souls, we say: Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen. 

Auxiliary Bishop Sylvester David offers his prayer and reflection for the people of the Archdiocese of Cape Town for today, Friday 20 November 2020, during this time of the coronavirus pandemic. It is also available on the Archdiocese of Cape Town’s Facebook page and YouTube channel. Please also see below the text of his reflection, primarily for the deaf.

Reflection Friday of Week 33 – Friday 20 November 2020.

Gospel reading Luke 19:45-48

Please read the Gospel passage. This is the story of Jesus cleansing the Temple and should inspire us to do some spring cleaning ourselves. Our bodies are Temples of the Holy Spirit and the spring cleaning I refer to should help us get rid of jealously, hatred, vengeance and indifference to the poor. In fact the original text of 1 Corinthians 6:19 refers to our bodies not just as Temples but as Sanctuaries (the innermost part of the Temple) of the Holy Spirit. This is the arena on which I encounter the living God who is present when his qualities of love, compassion, forgiveness and concern for the poor are cherished. I wish you a deep and meaningful encounter with the Divine. 

We are at this time facing the end of what has been a most difficult year brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic and its consequences. In this struggle we have witnessed both the failures of the human spirit and also its greatness. While the failures include a lack of sacrifice and indiscipline, the successes were seen through the generosity of people to ensure that the hungry were fed. Some within the Cape Town Metropole have turned even their front yards into veritable gardens thereby ensuring food security not only for themselves but also for their neighbours. One could not help but be attentive to the fact that the produce was not sold but shared among neighbours. The spinach grower exchanges produce with the grower of tomatoes, etc. In addition, some parishes began to explore ways of helping retail food stores to be generous. And all this has paid dividends. We thank these people and affirm their love of humanity and their God-given instinct of sharing.

A part of the struggle has been the inability to cope with what turned out to be a new normal. People have struggled to embrace the restlessness that was a natural consequence of the National Lockdown. In all this there was a possibility to discover our very centre – not so much as liturgical performers, but as people of faith who have been forced to abandon the usual ways of doing things. For the laity the gift of this crisis was the opportunity to discover the domestic Church – the body of Christ in the home. Also available to those who had the spirit of endurance was the discovery or re-discovery of our reliance on God. To embrace a poverty of spirit is in fact to enact a crucial aspect of our faith viz. trust in God.

And so as the year rushes to its close, we anticipate a new liturgical year. As we do with respect to calendar time, with the new liturgical year we also need to make “new year’s resolutions”. We do not merely wake up on the first Sunday of Advent and carelessly make a resolution. A meaningful resolution can only come after honest reflection which takes into account what needs to be done in order to be more faithful and more Christ-like. I suggest that now is the favourable time, with only eight days left before we start the new liturgical year, to look at what needs to be done e.g. to be more faithful to my prayer life, to be more attentive during worship, to be more forgiving, to be more generous, to embrace otherness a little bit more, and to live out our vows and promises to God and each other in a more meaningful way.

I wish you a meaningful reflection as we thank God for the gift of a new liturgical year with its opportunities to renew ourselves in the mysteries of our faith. Next week is the last week of the current liturgical year and we must not forget to thank God for the opportunities that came our way, and for new ways of demonstrating our Christian faith in what turned out to be a difficult year.

Bp. Sylvester David OMI

VG: Archdiocese of Cape Town.